WOODBRIDGE VILLAGE BOOK FAIR OCTOBER 3, 2014 “Rachel loves to read,” said her mother. The Woodbridge Village Book Fairwas the perfect place for her to visit. After making the rounds to all of the tables, she chose to purchase “The Apple Tree Wish.” Naturally, I autographed it for her and I learned that she was only 11 years old. I guess it is exciting for a young girl to meet an author so she wanted her picture taken with me. I was curious to learn what she would think after reading the book and I invited her to call me.

Well, to my surprise, she did just that less than 24 hours later. In fact, she said she finished reading the book at 11 p.m. the night she bought it. I have been told by other readers that once they start the book, they just keep reading to the end. She told me she liked the short chapters which each had a theme. “Really, cool!” was her first comment, but she went on to say that she likes reading about different characters and in this book her favorite character was my step-mother, Marie. Her perception and insights were well beyond her 11 years as she understood the surprise ending. She told me after she reads a book, she thinks about a useful moral message of the book: “We should accept the people in our lives.” Wow! That’s a great takeaway thought from The Apple Tree Wish. She is an exceptional young lady. Rachel, I am glad to have you as a fan.